I have not been lazy. The fact that my last blog post was a month and a half ago should not lead you to the obvious conclusion. The reason for not posting is because most of my cooking these days is done in the evening. That leads to the sad fact that there is no natural light to shoot my pictures. (This is the only time I wish I lived in a temperate region where the sun sets late!). This leads to me not posting the recipes because I always feel a recipe is enhanced by pictures. (Which is why I struggle to buy cookbook without pictures, unless it was something monumental like the Larousse Gastronomique!)
I make Coq Au Vin pretty often. That’s because it’s easy, can be made in large quantities, it freezes well and the leftovers always taste more brilliant than the day you actually make it. Another more practical reason is to use up leftover wine. (Not that there is too much, but the rare occasions of opening two bottles for two people can result in this miraculous event!). It’s a one pot rustic dish which is generally served with buttered flat noodles. The French use Burgundy for the ‘Vin’ part and a rooster for the ‘Coq’ part, but you may just use chicken and any good quality red wine. Julia Child may have made this dish popular in the Americas, but my recipe is from my Family Circle book that I have come to trust and love immensely. (P.S. they also have gorgeous pictures for each recipe!). So if you want something for easy entertaining – look no further.
Coq Au Vin (Chicken in Wine)
Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 1 hr
Serves 4
What you need:
1 kg skinned Chicken pieces (I like to use chicken thigh)
¾ cup all purpose Flour
Paprika, Salt and Pepper
2 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp Oil, extra
4 Bacon rashers, chopped
20 small pickling onions (shallots)
6 cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 ½ cup good quality Red wine (burgundy, Merlot, Shiraz)
1 ½ cups Chicken Stock
¼ cup Tomato Puree
200 gms Button mushrooms
What to do:
Coat chicken in seasoned flour, shake off excess. Heat oil in a heavy based pan. Cook chicken quickly in small batches until well browned; drain on paper towels. (It generally takes me 10 mins for this step).
Heat extra oil in the same pan. Add bacon, onions and garlic. Cook, stirring until onions are browned. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, pour in the stock and the tomato paste. Stir to combine. Now drop in the chicken pieces. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 mins.
Add the mushrooms, stir to combine and simmer, uncovered, for a further 10 mins or until the chicken is very tender and the sauce has thickened slightly. Turn off the heat, transfer to a large serving plate and garnish with freshly chopped herbs like parsley. Serve a glass of the same wine used in the dish and you have yourselves a lovely dinner!
P.S. The co-resident loves mashed potatoes, so that’s what we had on the side. You can also serve some lovely French bread to mop up the sauce.
The FoodPorn Diaries 
Yes you may omit the bacon *gasp gasp*. 😛 I use Chicken stock cubes. The imported Maggi ones that you need to dissolve in water – not the regular ones. Remind me to give you some next time.
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ooo yum swap..i can omit the bacon right? and do you use the chicken stock cube or do you make it from scratch?
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